1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cable connector assembly, and more particularly to a cable connector assembly which can ensure reliable grounding and electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding.
2. Description of Related Art
A cable connector assembly, such as an Universal Serial Bus (USB) connector, transmits electrical signals, including data signals and power signals, between electrical parts and other devices. With the improvement of transmission speed, a basic command to the cable connector assembly is to protect the signal transmission from being influenced from EMI. In addition, for attaching the cable connector assembly to a panel of an electronic device conveniently, such as a Personal Computer, a metal frame is generally employed.
A conventional USB connector is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,083,041 for achieving above goals. Referring to FIG. 1 in conjunction with FIG. 5, the USB connector includes a connector device 2 with a plurality of contacts arranged therein, a housing 1 with a cavity 11 for receiving the connector device 2 therein, and a metal panel 3 with two pairs of latching members 31 extending therefrom for latching with the housing 1. In order to prevent the USB connector from EMI, tip ends 33 of the latch members 31 are curved to contact the shield 22 of the connector device 2, thereby establishing grounding paths between the connector device 2 and the panel 3 to reduce EMI influence.
Whether a mechanical and electrical connection between the panel 3 and the housing 2 is reliable only depends on reliable degree of tip ends 33 of the latching member 31 abutting against inner surfaces of connecting holes 14 of the housing 1. However, such engagement is not enough to suffer from exterior needless affection. In a vibrative circumstance, the latching member 31 may loose from the housing 1, thereby causing an interruption of grounding paths between the connector device 2 and the panel 3 and further influencing signal transmission between the USB connector and complementary electronic device.
Hence, an improved cable connector assembly is desired to address the problems stated above.